Monsters
by Blackstrawberry
Summary: Not all monsters are demons.
1. Chapter 1

Monsters

Chapter one. ghosts, memories, and belts

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha

Inspired by Masters of Horror.

Itailics are memories or spirits.

Kagome stared out at the grey sky. Her once vivid blue eyes were grey and unseeing as she sat staring out of the window. Her short black hair was mussed. Her small hands rested on her fleece covered thighs, her long delicate fingers entwined. Her back was ram-rod straight, her small mouth was pressed into a straight line, her small feet crossed at the ankles. Her mind was elsewhere.

_"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as he cut through the men who were attacking her. She held her daughter's body in her arms as she trembled in shock rocking back and forth. InuYasha knelt in front of her. "Kagome?" He reach a trembling hand, touching the still warm skin of his daughter. "Yume?" _

_She was dead. InuYasha let out a chilling, mournful howl._

Kagome was brought out of her thoughts by the screen door slamming against the metal frame. It woulds seem her husband had finally deemed to grace her with his presence. Kagome listened as he kicked his shoes off. Then she heard his uneven, heavy footsteps stumble closer to her seat in the kitchen. She felt as if a cold ball had settled in her stomach. Kagome slowly closed her eyes.

She unfolded her hands and rose to her bare feet. The linoleum floor sending a cold chill up her long legs all the way up to the roots of her hair. Slowly she opened her eyes as she turned to face him. He was framed in the doorway. His brown hair was disheveled. His cloths stained,with who knows what. His brown eyes were wild as he took in the sight of her standing barefoot in the dining room of the house they rented.

This was Hojo Ken.

Her absentee husband.

Former valedictorian and pharmacist. Until he started taking the pills himself.

Kagome used to think he was boring.

She was wrong.

She used to think he was too nice, giving her all those gifts.

She was right. He was a predator. She found out the hard way.

He moved them to America as soon as they were married. He cut off all communication with her family. He plied her with gifts. He took control of the furnaces. Then he'd say horrible things. To break her down. Apologize, repeat. He didn't start out hitting her.

That came later.

Hojo scowled, cocked his fist back and slugged her. Light burst from behind her eyes and she fell to her knees. Then he grabbed her by her hair and drug her into the living room. Insulting her along the way. Kagome tried to get her feet under her but he threw her onto the coffee table. The table broke with the force she hit it. She curled up as he continued to beat her and retreated inside herself. Into the palace of her mind, something was drawing her..

Her palace was beautiful with its vaulted ceilings and sliding paper doors. Kagome was pulled deeper into her mind until she got to were she kept the memories of the feudal era. She slid the door open and stepped into a meadow dominated by the god tree. She leaned her head against the trees warm, rough, bark. Enjoying the scent of the flowers around her she waited.

_"I hate to see you like this." _

Kagome looked out the corner of her eye_. "InuYasha?"_

There the hanyou stood his strong arms crossed over his broad chest. His light grey hair blowing slightly in the warm breeze.

_"I thought you'd be better off without me_." He continued. He narrowed large topaz eyes at her. _"I failed you and our daughter."_

_"InuYasha, you didn't make those men attack us. I should of been stronger." _She closed her eyes. She felt like she wanted to cry. She felt sick. Kagome flinched when she felt InuYasha's strong arms around her. His corded muscles flexed against her as her small form was lost in his billowing scarlet sleeves_. _

_"You didn't make them attack you either..." "But..."_She interrupted. He squeezed her slightly.

_"But nuthin' Don't punish yourself for something those freaks did. You're a warrior, It's about time ya started actin' like it."_

_"InuYasha,..." _She tried_._

He let her go_. "It's almost time fore me to move on." _Kagome turned towards him_. "So, your dead?" _She asked.

InuYasha looked away from her then back. His white ears pricked in her direction. "_Feh, I've been dead for like a hundred years, it just took me awhile to find you. When I do I find this!" _He gestured towards some of Kagome's memories of Hojo. "_You letting this pussy smack you around cause your feelin sorry for yourself. Didn't ya learn anything from us!" _He shouted. "_Sango's probably spinin in her grave, After how hard she worked with you after Yume died, so it wouldn't happen again, your letten it!."_

Kagome looked away. "You don't understand." She muttered. InuYasha snorted.

_"I'm a half breed, people used ta treat me like hobo treats you, except I was a kid, I was smaller then you, I didn't know how ta fight. You do, We taught ya, we taught ya cause we love ya." _InuYasha blushed slightly. _"We didn't want ya ta get hurt again. But ya are, aren't you. Nothin we said ta ya got through did it? This is how ya honor us? Me? Yume? By forsaken us? _" InuYasha looked up at the blue sky. _"I never stopped loving ya Kagome." _He looked back at her. _" I still do."_He closed his eyes as took a deep breath_. "My time is up."_

Kagome embraced him, he returned the favor. He ran a clawed hand through her hair.

_"Listen good, Kagome, I'm gunna say this once..."_

"Inu.." Kagome sobbed.

"_What I want ya to do is get yer head out your ass an' fight, prove to us we did the right thing trainin you. I want you to be happy_." InuYasha was nearly gone_. "Don't stop till ya drop Kagome. I love you." _With that he was gone from her mind, is grip on her released and she was snapped back into the real world.

Kagomeshot up from were she lay, inhaling sharply. Her whole body hurt and she was naked. Kagome gingerly sat up and looked around. Hojo was on the floor next to her. He was naked too. Kagome got up and gathered their cloths out of habit. She took Hojo's black leather belt out of his slacks and put all their cloths in the laundry.

She took the belt and limped to her room and got dressed on a pair of jeans and a sweater. As she got dressed she thought about what InuYasha's ghost had said. She looked in the mirror above her dresser and saw the bruise starting to form. She touched it. Looking at herself in wonder, as if seeing herself for the first time. What had she let happen to herself?

Coming to a decision, Kagome moved to the closet and stuffed some cloths in a duffel bag. Shewent to do the same with her underware and socks. She stuffed Hojo's hunting knife into it too.

"Where do you think your going Kagome.?"

The question caused her to freeze. She slowly turned to her husband who was leering at her from the door. Taking a deep breath she looked him in he eye.

"I don't answer to you anymore." She stated. Surprised at how calm her voice was.

His face twisted and he stalked towards her. She felt herself begin to shake with fear. Hojo licked his thin lips, enjoying the way she reacted to him.

_'Use it." _Sango's voice rang through kagome's mind. A memory of her training so long ago _"Get angry. they have no right to make you feel this way_." Kagome nodded at the memory. Hojo clenched his fist. "_It takes more energy to miss then it does to hit_." She heard Sango say.

Hojo swung at her, she dodged and grabbed the belt she left on the bed. The image of one of the men who killed her daughter was superimposed over him as he turned to face her again.

"Hold still bitch!" He shouted. Stalking over to her again. Kagome felt a cold anger fill her. She remembered Yume. She remembered the baby she lost because of his beatings. Because she let him hurt her. She remembered that she was pregnant again.

_"It is your divine right to protect yourself, even if you have to kill a human." _Kagome got a good grip on the belt.

_"When they choose to hurt you, they are giving you their lives."_Sango's memory explained. Kagome dodged Hojo and spun around behind him.

"I won't disappoint you guys anymore." Kagome said out loud and she looped the belt around Hojo's neck and pulled.

He gagged and fell back on top of the bed. He clawed at the belt and struggled against her.

"Never again." She whispered.

Her body was tingling as adrenalin flowed into her body. She wrapped her long legs around Hojo's waist and pulled tighter.


	2. wake up

Monster

Chapter two .. Wake up

Disclaimer I don't own the majority of the characters. The story was inspired by Masters of Horror.

'Now what?' Kagome thought as she lay on her bed, weighed down by Hojo's body. Her anger had dissipated with her husband's pulse. Usually when his body held her down she was paralyzed in fear, humiliation, and pain. Now she didn't know how to feel. She expected him to turn over and choke her like he used to do when she showed signs of being something more then furniture he could pump. Before she had learned to submit to survive. He didn't like to be reminded that she was human and thus had free will. He always wanted to be in control no matter what.

It was getting hard for her to breath.

Kagome shimmied out from underneath the body not bothering to remove the belt from his neck, and slid onto the carpeted floor of her bed room. She began to sob, Kagome didn't know how long she cried but when she stopped she could see through the sheer curtain it was dark out.. Kagome fell forward onto her hands and knees, she couldn't even stand up anymore, she was so drained. That's when she saw it. On the cream colored carpeting on their bedroom floor was a rust colored stain, a blood stain. Her blood. From the first time Hojo nearly killed her and she let him. Kagome felt disgust at herself. She could have protected herself at any time, but she didn't until now. Why? Perhaps she was afraid of the police, Hojo had a lot of friends on the force. At least that's the impression she was given. whether or not it was true she didn' know and had no intention of finding out.

Kagome shakily got to her feet and. took a deep breath. Her suitcase had been tipped during the struggle so she righted it. refilled and zipped it. Then she left the house, grabbing her purse and a cellphone she had hidden on the way out. She threw her suitcase into the back of Hojo's car, popped the trunk, and returned to the house. There she got one of the rugs from the living room that had been covering still more evidence of the past, and brought into the bed room. There, she lay it next to Hojo and rolled him onto it. She didn't want to go to prison for murder and she knew Hojo's friends would make sure she did. Kagome took a deep breath and drug the body out of the house with no small amount of difficulty.

Eventually. she made it to the car. She looked around then opened the trunk all the way. She cocked her head at what she found. A knife, rope, duct-tape, and some other stuff. Not thinking anything of it , she tossed them. Then, Kagome cracked her knuckles and heaved Hojo's corpse up using her shoulders as leverage, remembering how she used to pick up her backpack, he was about the same size. She then stuffed him in the trunk and covered him with the rug, climbed into the car and sped off.

Hours later, Kagome found herself lost in the back woods. Exhousted from everything Kagome didn't realize she had begun to doze off untill a deer ran in front of her car. Kagome swore as she swerved to miss it. The last thing Kagome remebered was seeing a pinetree advancing on her just before she hit it.

_"I don't see how you can eat in a place like this." Kagome stated as she watched InuYasha practically inhale his second cup of instant ramen. Her delicate features twisted in disgust. She turned away from the gluttonous hanyou but the sight that surrounded her was much worse. They were in the middle of a battled field surrounded by the dead men who were being eaten. The raucous call of carrion crows and the acrid, stomach turning smell of death filled the air. _

"Ngg." Kagome groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was killing her and she was having a craving for venison. "stupid deer." The smell didn't help much neither did the cold hard wood she was leaning against. She tried to move, when she did she found herself chained to the wall.

"What the hell?" She mumbled as she waited for her eyes to adjust, the sunlight streaming though the slats near the cieling hurt her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Whispered a woman's voice from her right.

Kagome looked and saw a young woman, also tied up, kneeling next to her. What may have been blonde hair, green eyes, tiny build, She looked familiar. Then it hit her.

"Connie?" Kagome asked, testing her guess.

The woman blinked her big green eyes at her. Obviously stunned.

"How do you know my name?" She asked quietly.

Kagome adjusted her weight before answering her.

"You've been all over the news since disappearing a week ago."

"A week?" Connie asked, stunned. "It feels like so much longer." She added, in a daze, her head droped back onto the post behind her.

Connie went quiet after that. Kagome on the other hand, finally facing a situation she was used to, looked around the best she could in what little light they had. What she found was disturbing.

All around them were bodies. All of them women, all of them with holes were their eyes used to be, hanging from the ceiling. All of them except one. From her place next to the wooden steps, Kagome could see an old man. tied to a post nearby as if he was a dog. He was curled up in the fetal position, obviously asleep.

"Well, damn. " Kagome cursed then turned her attention back to Connie.

"Hey?" She whispered to the young woman who'd curled up into a shivering ball.

Connie looked at Kagome over her dirty knees. Kagome took that as a sign to continue. "What can you tell me about who's keeping us here."

Connie sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "He's big." She stated. "Over six feet tall I think, and he's bald. He has a friend, called Hojo, I think. He's the one that r-r-hurts me." Connie stuttered, her whole body shook when she remembered my husband.

'Oh my.' Kagome thought. 'Guess it was a good thing he attacked me today.'Kagome thought, then she nodded her head toward the sleeping man. "And him?" She asked.

Connie shook her head. "He's Rob. He's not all there." She said and pointed to her head. 'So I got a traumatized woman and a crazy guy to work with.' Kagome thought as she adjusted her weight.

"How about others, are there others they've kept alive?" Kagome asked. It was getting dark outside. Connie shook her head, The old man stirred, the trap door above them opened. Connie's large eyes practically bugged out when a huge boot appeared on the second step from the top. The wood staircase strained under the weight of the man ans he stalked down the stairs.

"It's him!" Connie whispred to Kagome loudly. Her voice was shakey and her whole body was trembling. "He's come to kill me!"


	3. power tools

Monster

Chapt 3 power tools

Disclaimer: Still no.

"No." Connie whispered ans the man slowly walked down the stairs and loomed over Kagome and her companion who trembled beside her.

No, please!" Connie begged him.

_"Please! Leave her alone!" Kagome cried as she strained aganst the laughing men that restrained her from going to her Yume. :"Mama!" Yume screamed an one of the men plunged into her._

Kagome shook her head, she had to stay focused on now she turned to focus on their 'host' as he bent at the waist and looked her in the eye, his experssion stoic.

"Please.." Connie continued. "I'll do any thing."

His expression grew stormy and Kagome and Connie both knew that was the wrong thing to say. With a jerk he pulled Connie free as she screamed, Kagome struggled, it was happening again. someone else was going to die in front of her.

"Stop this instant!" Kagome ordered him but he ignored her

Kagome immediately turned her attention to her bindings and tried to chew through them. Behind her, Connie screamed and struggled as she was slammed down on something with a loud thud. Kagome pulled at her restraints with her teeth as she heard leather being pulled tight and Connie's whimpers but Kagome stayed focused. It wasn't until she heard the power drill start up that she was distracted. She jerked towards the sound and was horrified to see the man slowly lower the drill towards Connie's head which was now secured in a vice, the woman strained against the leather straps that held her to the table.

"No. No!" She screamed and for a moment Kagome saw her daughter.

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat as the drill penetrated into Connie's eye and the girl let out a scream before going into silent convulsions and the drill burrowed into her brain, soon enough the sound of the drill changed when it reached the skull and went through. Satisfied the man pulled the drill up, it made a wet squelching sound as it left her eye socket, Kagome could see the grey matter on the bit glinting dully in the light.

For a moment Kagome saw a battlefield.

Connie's convulsions and the man absently cleaned the drill with a dirty rag that looked like it was once a woman's shirt. Then, he began the process again, Connied spasmed and then she heard a gasp and sigh. Kagome watched as her soul was collected by tiny oni and prayed that it found rest in the after life. She closed her eyes and did her best to ignore Connie being strung up by her hands and the man's heavy foot steps as he went upstairs, she didn't open them again until he closed the trap door and stomped away.

_Her daughter lay limp, naked and bleeding on the once green grass her once vivid golden eyes wide open and clouded in death. Done with her the men switch their attention to the distraught mother who had gone limp in the arms of her attackers, overwhelmed by her daughters pain-filled, terrified screams. _

Laughter drug Kagome from her thoughts as the surviving captive made his presence known. Kagome looked over at him and immediately noted the crazed look in his eye.

"Who are you?" She asked him once his hysterical laughter died down.

"Shoulder! Your shoulder!" He cried.

'Well it was worth a try.' She thought as she tried to relieve the pressure on the previously mentioned joint and was reminded of the glass imbedded there. She sighed then groaned as her stomach churned, 'sadly' she noted in he mind. 'not because of miss Connie.' Gore had ceased to bother her a long time ago, no this was because of the baby she carried, the one she'd forgot about. Looking down at the little pooch where she showed it felt like InuYasha's hands rested there as they used to with Yume. Startled and comforted Kagome was reminded of what she had to do.

She gripped the glass with her teeth and proceeded with the tedious task of working it loose. After a few minutes she succeeded in pulling out a length just long enough for her to use. She listened for a few moments, hearing the door slam above her then the footsteps again as they walked towards the cellar door. She held her breath as she hid the bloody glass in her mouth when he stopped next to the trapdoor that led to the basement. He then continued on.

Kagome sighed with relief then carefully bought the shard carefully out of the mouth and slid it into her hand. Kagome began to work the rope, sawing it and doing her best to keep her hold on the slippery object. Eventually the rope gave way and she carefully got to her feet. She rubbed her wrists gingerly as she turned her attention to him.

She walked up to him slowly until she was in front of him. "Don't worry." She whispered. "I'm gunna get you you too."

The man's eyes widened and then he startled Kagome by letting out a shriek.

"Hey!" He shouted. "Get down here! She's loose!"

Kagome backed away stunned at his reaction then as she heard their host stomping quickly towards the trap door she ran back to her spot and carefully wrapped the rope around her hands and slid the glass into her bra. Above her the trap door slammed open and the man ran down and came to a stop before Kagome, he looked down at her with an angry glare, flare nostrils and clenched fists. Seeing her kneeling before him her turned angrily towards the man whom realized the murderers attention was on him and he began to studder as the man approached.

Kagome watch as the killer raised his fist and struck the man who cried out in pain, still trying to explain what he saw and grovelling. The killer began to beat him in earnest not noticing as Kagome loosed herself from her bonds and snuck up the stairs.

"Behind you! She's on the steps!" The man shouted as the murderer rised his fist again.

She heard the shout and she looked behind her and made eye contact with the killer. His eyes widened in realization and Kagome took off up the stairs slamming the trap door behind her and sat on it. She was nearly thrown off of if when the man threw himself against it. Desperately Kagome looked around for something to defend herself with. Before she could the pounding stopped. Kagome waited.

Nothing.

Then a shadow in the doorway.

Kagome looked up and into the feral eyes of her assailant as he glared at her from across the room. She ran her hand along her abdomen then slowly got to her feet and smirked at the man in he same way InuYasha had so many times. Her arms hung loosely at her side and she stood with her feet shoulder width apart just as she was taught. She knew he had the home-field advantage but she also knew what would happen if she lost so she waited for him to make the first move. She also knew people did stupid things when they where angery.

He stared at her unsure at first then he stalked towards her. Kagome just watched and arrogantly flipped her hair. He was halfway to her when she broke the silence.

"Oh Please." She goaded. "We both know you can't handle a woman who isn't tied up." She snorted. "Neither could Hojo, that's why he's dead. He was weak and so are you and I killed him."

He roared his rage when her heard her confession and broke into a run. Kagome braced herself as they nearly collided. At the last moment she spun to the side of him and as he was off balanced her shoved him. He went stumbling into his rough hewn table shattering it with his weight. He bounced back up and Kagome faked a yawn. He charged her again but this time anticipated her dodge and weaved his way behind her wrapping his forearm around her throat, choking her.

Kagome stepped a little to the side and used the foot closest to him to knock him off balance. The lowering her shoulder and grabbing his arm she flipped him over her back. He landed with a heavy thud but rolled to his feet before Kagome could finish him. As he got up he pulled about a large bowie knife he had in his boot. Kagome grit her teeth but stayed focused. She reminded her self that even big people have the same weaknesses she just had to avoid the knife.

He slashed at her, the tip if the blade cut along her stomach as she dodged. Due to her injuries from the past couple days she was slower then usual. Kagome hissed and the man grinned and pressed his attack. Kagome felt wired as the adreneline coursed through her but she knew after all that's happened she wouldn't last long.

She dodged she stepped forwards avoiding the knife and grabbed his arm and pulled forwards as she used his forward momentum as they fell to toss him again. She wasn't anticipating the window however and was startled by the breaking glass. She rolled to her feet to fond him half ways out the window.

Kagome ran forwards, picked up the knife he dropped along the was and jumped onto his back. She wrapped her legs around him as she did Hojo and buried his knife in his throat then pulled it outward causing blood to spray the walls and drip to the floor painting them crimson. She climbed off him, and watch as he spasmed, the sound of his rasping breath filled her ears as hy drowned on his life's blood, Soon the spasms stopped, the blood slowed, and the breathing ceased.

Kagome sat on the other side of the room, the knife lodged in the wooden floorboards nearby. She was coming off the high and her whole body felt weak. She tried to ignore the feeling as stared at her captors now cooling body distracted herself by going over her options. She'd killed two men, got captured, saw a murder, was visited by a ghost. Kagome sighed and ran a bloody hand through her hair, she didn't want to go to prision

She then got to her feet and went outside, there she found her car. She popped the trunk and grimaced at the smell of her ex's decomposing body. She then steeled herself and pulled his body out of her trunk. She then drug it into the house and opened the trap door then shoved his corpse through it. She ignored the only other person left alive as she chained Hojo to her former post then turned to her observer.

" I could let you go now." She stated. "But you tried to kill me too." She then turned on her heel and stumbled up the steps leaving him alone.

A/n Not sure about this ending. Maybe a sequal? 1st story I've completed. Will


End file.
